We are well into the year and have already accomplished a good deal. Our mission is to preserve and protect earned benefits for our uniformed services, veterans, their families and surviving spouses through:
*Advocacy
*Leadership
*Education
*Service
Though we are not a large chapter in number of members, we have some of the most dedicated members you will find anywhere. Since our members must have been commissioned officers or warrant officers, we have a smaller number here locally eligible to join. However, we have all branches of service to draw from which can make up the difference.
Support of our university and high school ROTC Groups is one of our main priorities. We ask that you consider a donation to sustain these efforts. Most of us give $100.00 or more each year, however, any donation will help.
A goal, this year, is to continue to have meaningful and informative speakers at our meetings. We have, already, had a visit from our state council of chapters president, and organized a very important program about the need of preparation by our Surviving Spouses Liaison Officer.
Please come and enjoy one of our meetings with so many with similar backgrounds. Bring or invite an eligible person to come along with you, whereby we can grow our chapter numbers and keep a good thing going.
God Speed,
Floyd Branson, President
Cimarron Chapter Holds Second 2023 Meeting
Our Chapter meeting was held 1 May at Mariachis. Our speaker was LTC (RET) Joyce Taylor who spoke about important info regarding our benefits for our spouses upon our demise, which is way in the future!!?? LTC Taylor is our Chapter’s Spouse Liaison and can always be counted on to explain “what’s what.”
If you have not payed your 2023 dues, please due so (pun intended) by $30 check, made out to “Cimarron Chapter MOAA”, and bring your check in person and present it to Richard at the next meeting. If you wish to join The National MOAA, please access their website at (MOAA.org) for information concerning membership. No need to RSVP, hope to see you there.
Support Our Student Veterans and ROTC Cadets
OSU Veteran Emergency Fund: Established in July 2015, the OSU Veteran Student Academic Services office aids the transition from military service to the classroom. Programs provide services and support, as well as creating greater recognition and awareness for veterans and military-affiliated students on campus. Training programs for faculty and staff create a culture of trust and connectedness across campus. Read more here. To make contributions to the OSU Veterans Affairs, University College, go here.
OSU Army and Air Force ROTC Cadets: Today, some 300 young men and women in the Army and Air Force ROTC at OSU are preparing themselves to be officers in our nation’s military. Our MOAA Cimarron Chapter annually provides scholarships to help these cadets complete their degree programs and receive commissions in the Army and Air Force. Contact us to find out how to help.
Oklahoma ROTC Centennial Observed
The 1916 National Defense Act was passed on June 3, 1916 in response to the campaign by the Preparedness Movement championed by former president Theodore Roosevelt and General Leonard Wood. The 1916 National Defense Act provided major restructuring of the U.S. Army expanding the size and scope of the National Guard and establishing the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) to train and prepare high school and college students for Army service.
Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, was among the first 17 units to be stood up in 1916.
The Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame will honor the seven currently active ROTC units in Oklahoma. Read more on this special site.
Veteran, Write Your Story!
As a military veteran, you can provide a service to your family, community, and country by completing this questionnaire developed for high school students to interview their veteran family members. You have probably thought your family, for example, would not be at all interested in your military service; but, you probably would be surprised how well they could receive this questionnaire from you, completed with a little thought. With fewer members of our society having served in the military, it can safely be said that today little is understood of the real nature of military service. Hollywood is a poor substitute for the recollections of real veterans. The questionnaire makes it easy to respond with answers that provide meaningful insight into what it means to be a veteran. Download, and complete it today for your children and grandchildren (it is in rich text format and you can type directly into the document). If you are the spouse of a veteran, encourage him or her to do this special thing for their descendants for Veterans Day. It could be passed along for generations to come.